East Coast hunting rant

[Gobbler36]

Can't say I agree, yes success of others is important to me but I feel that that success should come from an individuals hard work and ot always just telling someone where to go sit and shoot. Plus it's an unwritten law for hunting and is definitely a code for hunters. Productive public land spots are hard earned and if this guy out of kindness took him to this spot and just saved him countless scouting hours and research then I think the guy needs to have enough respect to not go in there 1) wo calling and checking with the guy to see if it's ok and if he's going back there or 2) just not go there at all unless invited back and work on coming up with a new area that you can then share with this guy.
I know I have taken and been taken to lots of hunting spots and I would expect a level of respect for that and I give that respect back.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

When friends ask me to take them hunting in my spots, I often invite them to go scouting with me first. If they are willing to put in some sweat equity they typically respect that secret spots are earned and are less likely to show it to their buddies. Very few are actually willing to come along in July and August and put the work in. As a result, very few get invites to come along once the season starts.

 

[timekiller13]

The idea of spot claiming on public land is just as disturbing to me as someone piggybacking off another's hard work. It is public land. There is no spot that is mine, there is no spot that is yours. The only way you claim a spot is if beat me to it that day. If someone is in a spot I planned to hunt, move on to plan B. There is a lot of assumption that "your spot" is not being hunted by someone else. You just may never cross paths with them. I would almost guarantee that there is nowhere in the lower 48 that someone can say they are the only person who has found and is hunting a certain area.
Its plain and simple, if you don't want anyone to know where you are hunting, then don't show them or tell them. If you do, then must assume that "your spot" has now become "their spot" as well.

 

[quackaddict]

Just a twist to this topic...

You and a buddy are hunting(bird hunting, specifically). You do a lot of exploring and put some serious miles on the pickup one weekend to areas that neither of you have hunted before, but looked good on the map. Turns out to be a couple of good spots. Do you feel bad about going back and hunting it without him?

 

[ChrisS]

The idea of spot claiming on public land is just as disturbing to me as someone piggybacking off another's hard work. It is public land. There is no spot that is mine, there is no spot that is yours. The only way you claim a spot is if beat me to it that day. If someone is in a spot I planned to hunt, move on to plan B. There is a lot of assumption that "your spot" is not being hunted by someone else. You just may never cross paths with them. I would almost guarantee that there is nowhere in the lower 48 that someone can say they are the only person who has found and is hunting a certain area.
Its plain and simple, if you don't want anyone to know where you are hunting, then don't show them or tell them. If you do, then must assume that "your spot" has now become "their spot" as well.

I don't know how many times I've been poking around public land looking at some spots I've picked out on a map based on topography or location and when I got there looked up and saw tree stand (or other eivdence from the previous season). Sometimes pretty deep, too. One time, I was bushwhacking up to a ridge that I was going to sit for the first few hours before still hunting the rest of the day. I was pushing through wet brush and saplings, in the dark, stopped for a second after pushing into a little clearing and happened to look to my right. There, on a tree, my head lamp lit up a trail camera. There wasn't a road or trail for a 3/4 of a mile in any direction in some really thick woods.

 

[NHRedleg]

Its not about whether or not you have public land to yourself or not; which you don't. Its not about whether a spot is "yours" or not; which no spot is truly yours unless you own the land. Its about friendship, respecting each other, and doing the right thing. Sure your "friend" can go whenever they want, its public, but the right thing is to talk about it with each other. I'd suspect in most cases permission would be given or some cooperative plan worked out; you are friends that hunt together BTW.
That bird hunting spot example where you discover a spot together; then simple conversation..."Hey I'm thinking of hunting that spot we found, want to you go?" other guy: "Ah Man, can't make that, good luck there, maybe next time, give me a call after and let me know how it was." That's how that should go and I suspect that most times it does.
In any case you shouldn't be so possessive to think that a spot is yours and you can't share it with someone if they ask. If you can't share then you should have never shown it to them to begin with. And that right there is the real issue; don't show anyone some spot you're not willing to share with them. The friendship, courtesy, and respect part comes in with having conversations about it. Because in the end like I said at the beginning no public land spot is yours and realize that you're sharing whether you know it or not; so play nice together

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I think the folks saying its an unwritten rule need to just be clear with the person and not a grey area. If you feel like they should have to ask permission in the future if you show them a spot them clearly tell them that and make sure they agree, if they don't agree then don't take them there if its going to piss you off. Assuming other folks know your unwritten code of ethics is just a recipe for bad blood I'd think.

 

[Trial153]

first thing I do when I take someone to a spot is walk to them flat spot with a Conspicuous rock. I tell them that I put the rock there a marker. when they ask what it marks I tell them the grave of the last guy that hunted here without my permission.

in all seriousness the only way to prevent this is not take anyone.

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[Murdy]

Part of it depends on your circumstances. Public land around me is heavily hunted. If I'm not in a spot I found, there's a pretty good chance someone else is. In these circumstances, it doesn't bother me if a friend I showed the spot uses it when I'm not around.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I think the folks saying its an unwritten rule need to just be clear with the person and not a grey area. If you feel like they should have to ask permission in the future if you show them a spot them clearly tell them that and make sure they agree, if they don't agree then don't take them there if its going to piss you off. Assuming other folks know your unwritten code of ethics is just a recipe for bad blood I'd think.

In my case, I was pretty clear that I hunt this spot, and it's too small to support a lot of pressure. His reply was "sure man, just need some meat this year. I'll do some scouting this spring and summer and hunt somewhere else next year"

His actions were not consistent with that. He came back from the trip with two deer, an easy pack out, and said he's always going there from then on. When I asked about his earlier promise, it was basically, "tough. I hunt there now"

lost a friend when his greed shone through.

 

[Gobbler36]

The idea of spot claiming on public land is just as disturbing to me as someone piggybacking off another's hard work. It is public land. There is no spot that is mine, there is no spot that is yours. The only way you claim a spot is if beat me to it that day. If someone is in a spot I planned to hunt, move on to plan B. There is a lot of assumption that "your spot" is not being hunted by someone else. You just may never cross paths with them. I would almost guarantee that there is nowhere in the lower 48 that someone can say they are the only person who has found and is hunting a certain area.
Its plain and simple, if you don't want anyone to know where you are hunting, then don't show them or tell them. If you do, then must assume that "your spot" has now become "their spot" as well.

Yes all this is correct they aren't doing anything unlawful and they have a right to be there as well but when it comes to being friends with someone and respecting someone's hard work and generosity then it matters, there is a fine line between law and ethics and the golden rule applies very much in this scenario.

 

[eagle#eyes]

When friends ask me to take them hunting in my spots, I often invite them to go scouting with me first. If they are willing to put in some sweat equity they typically respect that secret spots are earned and are less likely to show it to their buddies. Very few are actually willing to come along in July and August and put the work in. As a result, very few get invites to come along once the season starts.

This weeds them out quick

 

[WhiteOak]

This does get tricky, I just moved from NJ and I will share my personal experience. I bought a jon boat from a landowner who had about 120 acre farm(that is big for NJ) a few years back. I asked the man if I helped him out if I could hunt his land, he agreed I ran his tractor and mowed for a full 8 hrs every other weekend and earned my right to hunt. Two years later I took a work buddy out there to goose hunt and also fish as he had a few ponds with bass in them. My buddy was all gung ho about filming everything and trying to post and brag on the internet witch is pretty much the opposite of me. Come to find out assholes are able to get the locations of spots from pictures and videos and then my secret spot I had worked for and cherished became run over with people pushing the bounds and hunting and fishing until the owner told them otherwise. After that I realized that if I have a spot worth keeping secret than I will do. Unless there is an understanding that look dude this is a special place man don't tell a sole even if it means not being able to brag on the freaking internet

 

[WhiteOak]

After that I ruled out taking him to my public white tail spot. I think you just have to feel out others ethics

 

[bluetick78]

I've been on both sides of this, like most. I spent a number of years guiding, and in that case I always took paying clients to the best spots. I always knew a dozen or so places that held nice mulies or elk. When I could sneak a few days off from guiding, my brother and I would go whack a couple of nice bucks or bulls that made all the neighbors drool. Incidentally, I always knew of good fishing spots as well. I didn't realize the monster I was creating......See, my brother never had to do anything besides show up and shoot straight to fill his tags.
Fast forward several years. Kids, bills, and real life caught me. I'd quit guiding, and all the places I'd guided in the past were put on a draw. That left me with carving out a little bit of my precious free time to scout in the summer to find new honey holes for big game. But, oddly enough, my brother still felt compelled to be wherever I was on opening day. I asked him repeatedly for help scouting, and was always told he was too busy or some other excuse. Then a few years back, I got off work early on a weekday during deer season and decided to make a mad dash to my spot. To my suprise, when I got there my brother and three of his neighbors were packing out 2 nice bucks. Bucks I'd scouted all summer long and told him about. At the same time, I'd been seeing trail cam pics of him and his 3 neighbors at my fishing holes. I realized I was a pawn to another groups hunting success.
The next year I moved hunting areas by almost 100 miles and refused to give any information to my brother at all. I spent a lot of time finding deer and elk that summer, and harvested both that fall. I still have not told anyone besides my wife(for emergency purposes) where I hunt, and plan to keep it that way as long as I am able.
That being said, I have hunted and guided a huge portion of Idaho, and will gladly give info to inquiring individuals if I have good knowledge of the area they are asking about. As long as it's not too close to my spot.....

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

In my case, I was pretty clear that I hunt this spot, and it's too small to support a lot of pressure. His reply was "sure man, just need some meat this year. I'll do some scouting this spring and summer and hunt somewhere else next year"

His actions were not consistent with that. He came back from the trip with two deer, an easy pack out, and said he's always going there from then on. When I asked about his earlier promise, it was basically, "tough. I hunt there now"

lost a friend when his greed shone through.

Bright side is you aren't wasting your time with him anymore and can stick to true friends.

 

[elkyinzer]

Yeah I really enjoy poking some people over there on the forum you are talking about. Probably isn't the right thing to do, but anyway....

I don't even understand how one could debate this. It's just man code. It's just a totally sleazy,disrespectful, shitty move to bogart someone's spot after they were generous enough to take you there.

Along the same lines, given the incredible proliferation of sleazy, disrespectful people in this world, I just choose to only hunt with a small handful of people because they have been thoroughly vetted and I know they understand this unwritten rule of hunting/man code.

 

[SteveCNJ]

So on an east coast forum, there was a guy complaining a "buddy" that he invited hunting with him, and that he took to some better than average spots was now hunting "his" areas on public land, mostly when he wasn't around... Although they did run into each other sporadically, it ruined the friendship.... To which I replied, really? The loss of a friend over a public land hunting spot? Seems petty in my book....
My view was, even though you did the work, that it is public land, and if your not hunting it... then I would rather have a friend in my area and be able to harvest a mediocre at best whitetail(its PA so nothing huge lives here ) then some stranger who, (still has the same right) but just happens to stumble into the area. Well holy heck, it was like I was the most un-informed, untrustworthy, pos, scum that ever walked the sacred woods of PA...
The funny part, I'm known with my group and family as the guy everyone wants to hunt around, because success of friends and family means as much to me as harvesting something myself...

And then it sank it... this is part of the overall issue as to why the hunting community can't come together and be as one, because someone always feels cheated, or only believes in "I" or gets in a tizzy over something so trivial.

Maybe I am wrong, and this forum will gore me also, but I cant help feel that the group at home has become so blinded, that they really have lost sight of the real reason for why most of us started out hunting and fishing in the beginning... The enjoyment of the woods.

Fire Away....

I don't care what coast it is, there are a code that hunters, real hunters, not people with a gun trying to shoot something, seems to adhere to. It isn't written or necessarily spoken, but we all seem to know it and respect it. We enjoy the kindred spirits of these types of individuals as much as we enjoy the solitude of the woods. Anyone who doesn't believe in these principles I wouldn't want to hunt or fish with anyway and they're part of the reason solitude is so sweet.

Just my humble opinion.

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[SteveCNJ]

I don't care what coast it is, there is a code that hunters, real hunters, not people with a gun trying to shoot something, seems to adhere to. It isn't written or necessarily spoken, but we all seem to know it and respect it. We enjoy the kindred spirits of these types of individuals as much as we enjoy the solitude of the woods. Anyone who doesn't believe in these principles I wouldn't want to hunt or fish with anyway and they're part of the reason solitude is so sweet.

Just my humble opinion.

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[couesbitten]

I have a spot, that outside of my son and daughter (22 & 19 years old), I've taken 4 other people to in 15 years. Those people know that although this is public ground, this spot is special to me, and they were brought there as a guest. I'm confident that none of them have ever been there without me knowing about it, and one of them told me he's not comfortable hunting there without me. It's a code of respect and honor, kind of like being invited into my home, do not disrespect me or my sacred ground.